British air base on security alert after checkpoint incident, but terrorism not suspected

LONDON — A British air base also used by U.S. forces was placed on temporary lockdown Monday after a driver apparently tried to ram through a checkpoint at the facility. The incident was not considered a terrorist incident, police said.

Shots were filed by American personnel, but there were no reports of serious injuries.

A U.S. Air Force statement said one person was arrested, but it did not provide further details on the incident at the base, known as Royal Air Force Mildenhall, about 80 miles northeast of London.

A statement by Suffolk police said it was "not being treated as terrorism."

The BBC, citing security officials, reported that a driver tried to "force" a vehicle through a checkpoint. Police said U.S. military personnel fired shots. A spokeswoman for the Suffolk Police also said the incident occurred on the base rather than outside it.

"Shots were fired by American service personnel and a man has been detained with cuts and bruises and taken into custody," the police statement said. "No other people have been injured as a result of the incident."

British police said they are "not looking for anyone else on the site" and that "there is no wider threat to the public or occupants on the base."

On the base's Facebook page, officials said the installation was locked down at 1 p.m. "following reports of a disturbance." In a later post, they said the lockdown was "terminated" and that "operations are returning to normal."

U.S. military aircraft at Mildenhall include air-refueling and reconnaissance planes.

Last year, a delivery driver, Junead Khan, was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of plots against U.S. military personnel based in Britain. Prosecutors said Khan used his job as driver for a pharmaceutical firm to scout bases that included U.S. airmen and others.

Brian Murphy and Alex Horton in Washington contributed to this report.